The raffle for a Dry Stone Walling Course which we have been selling at the demos we have recently done was won by Mr John Maltby. Congratulations!
All proceeds will be donated to Help For Heroes.
Thank you very much for all those who supported the raffle for this great cause.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Classic Car Show, Cannon Hall
Good grief it was a scorcher! I'm sure that by the time we'd finished building our BBQ I had sun stroke! Anyway, it was a great day, met some smashing people and enjoyed some nice food off our BBQ.
With thanks to Barry, Chris, Max and Rob for the loan of the stone.
The BBQ is built, the sausages are on with the lovely backdrop of Cannon Hall in the background.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Dry Stone Walling Course at Nabs Wood 12th and 13th July 2008
This course has got to have contained the quickest wall builders so far! They had their section of wall built by lunch on Sunday and after lunch they completed another wall which was started by the children burying their time capsules on 4th July. Not only were they quick but they did a good job too!
I learnt something on this course. Apparently Fiona’s current waller puts toad holes in his walls. First I’ve heard of these! I’ve built bee boles before and built a few more ‘features’ than I would like to be accredited with, but this was my first experience of toad holes! Not content with toad holes, Fiona and Sarah actually put some foliage in the wall for toad bedding! I thought I was there to teach the course to build a wall not a toad sanctuary!!
We had another splendid meal at the Chilli Lodge on Saturday evening where we were joined by spouses, offspring and friends.
L to R: Standing: Neil, Mike, Paul, Sarah, Nick, Diane
Kneeling: Mick, Fiona, Andy and Dale
All in all another great course with great people! Thanks to all participants and to Barry for helping out – and for managing to stay vertical for the whole course!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Darton Carnival 6th July 2008
I was invited to do a demonstration of dry stone walling at the Darton Carnival last weekend. I roped in Barry and Chris Heeley, Max and my eldest daughter Laura.
We had everything arranged and we were set to do our stuff when I got a call from Barry on Saturday telling me that the stone supplier who was going to lend us some stone had let us down. Panic! We made a few calls and eventually found a stone merchant which was open to buy some stone. Some demo it would have been without stone! We hurtled to the stone yard before it closed at lunch and loaded two tonnes of stone onto the pick up and once again everything was ready for the demo the next day.
Sunday was grey and gloomy as we made our way to the ground where the Carnival was being held. There were beer glasses everywhere from the previous days music festival which was apparently very good (our old friends the OFB Band were playing so it must have been!). We had some right fun and games erecting the gazebo but it was just as well we managed because soon after it was up the heavens opened. It wasn’t long before we were joined under our shelter by others who were displaying at the Carnival including a detachment from the Yorkshire Regiment who were hoping to build an assault course for the children (this never happened for safety reasons which was a shame).
We eventually took the plunge and started building our feature in the rain which was a small wall with steps up the side. The gates opened soon after and people started trickling in – much like the rain down my neck! We spoke to lots of nice people and got invited to the Vintage Car Rally at Cannon hall on 27th July – so we’ll see you there!
Thanks to Barry, Chris, Max and daughter Laura for their help and company through that damp day!
The Demo Team!L to R: Max, Chris, Me, Laura and Barry
Monday, July 07, 2008
170th Aniversary of the Huskar Pit Disaster
On Friday 4th July we commemorated the 170th Anniversary of the Huskar Pit Disaster where 26 children were drowned.
My vision was to have children from all around the surrounding district involved in project work about the disaster and on the anniversary, to have them place time capsules in the walls we are repairing at Nabs Wood and have the children wall them in for posterity. Take up for this 'vision' was limited to say the least but at one school, Kirk Baulk of Hoyland, Barnsley shared my vision. Their teachers, Mr Wilson and Miss Linsley, spend some considerable time and effort with their classes producing projects about themselves and the disaster.
The result was that on Friday afternoon we had the pleasure of welcoming 6 pupils and their teachers to Nabs Wood. We were very fortunate in that Alan Gallop, author of Children of the Dark had very kindly offered to speak to us about what happened on that terrible day. His narration of events held us spellbound and I certainly had a lump in my throat as Alan told us the details of what happened. I think part of the atmosphere was that we were at the site of the day hole where the children were drowned just feet from where we were standing and almost 170 years to the minute when the disaster occurred.
Alan Gallop, author of Children of the Dark
Alan had brought along some flowers and he gave one to each of the children and a few of us adults. We let the flowers fall into the day hole as an act of remembrance to those poor children and their families, who must have been devastated.
This lady is a direct descendant of Sarah Newton who was killed 170 years ago
The serious side of the day over, we went to the walls and with a little bit of blurb and instruction from myself the youngsters were soon in full flow placing their time capsules into the wall and putting stone into the wall to bury their work for future generations to find. I had to ask Mr Wilson if he'd been giving these lads and lasses dry stone walling lessons on the side such was the standard of their work!
Unfortunately their day came swiftly to a close and all too soon we had to say goodbye.
L to R: Neil Wilson (Head of History), Joseph Bradley, Lucy Webster, Tom Slack, Rebecca Jones, Lauren Fletcher, Michael Barrow and Gemma Linsley (Class Teacher)
I would like to thank the pupils of Kirk Baulk School, those who were lucky enough to visit the woods and those who couldn't, for making my vision a reality and of course to their teachers Neil Wilson and Gemma Linsley without who's enthusiasm and hard work none of this would have happened. A really nice bunch of folk. Also to Barry and Chris Heeley of High Hoyland Dry Stone Walls who gave up their day to help us on this special day. Last but not least, a very special thanks to Alan Gallop who also gave his time to paint a picture in words of that terrible day.
P.S. I went to see 'Profit and Loss' a play performed by local people at Silkstone Paris Church on Friday evening which was about the Huskar Pit Disaster. It was an excellent performance very well acted, some of whom were relatives of those who died all those years ago. The evening came to a close with the children who played the 26 children who died laying flowers on the monument in the church graveyard. Very moving.
My vision was to have children from all around the surrounding district involved in project work about the disaster and on the anniversary, to have them place time capsules in the walls we are repairing at Nabs Wood and have the children wall them in for posterity. Take up for this 'vision' was limited to say the least but at one school, Kirk Baulk of Hoyland, Barnsley shared my vision. Their teachers, Mr Wilson and Miss Linsley, spend some considerable time and effort with their classes producing projects about themselves and the disaster.
The result was that on Friday afternoon we had the pleasure of welcoming 6 pupils and their teachers to Nabs Wood. We were very fortunate in that Alan Gallop, author of Children of the Dark had very kindly offered to speak to us about what happened on that terrible day. His narration of events held us spellbound and I certainly had a lump in my throat as Alan told us the details of what happened. I think part of the atmosphere was that we were at the site of the day hole where the children were drowned just feet from where we were standing and almost 170 years to the minute when the disaster occurred.
Alan Gallop, author of Children of the Dark
Alan had brought along some flowers and he gave one to each of the children and a few of us adults. We let the flowers fall into the day hole as an act of remembrance to those poor children and their families, who must have been devastated.
This lady is a direct descendant of Sarah Newton who was killed 170 years ago
The serious side of the day over, we went to the walls and with a little bit of blurb and instruction from myself the youngsters were soon in full flow placing their time capsules into the wall and putting stone into the wall to bury their work for future generations to find. I had to ask Mr Wilson if he'd been giving these lads and lasses dry stone walling lessons on the side such was the standard of their work!
Unfortunately their day came swiftly to a close and all too soon we had to say goodbye.
L to R: Neil Wilson (Head of History), Joseph Bradley, Lucy Webster, Tom Slack, Rebecca Jones, Lauren Fletcher, Michael Barrow and Gemma Linsley (Class Teacher)I would like to thank the pupils of Kirk Baulk School, those who were lucky enough to visit the woods and those who couldn't, for making my vision a reality and of course to their teachers Neil Wilson and Gemma Linsley without who's enthusiasm and hard work none of this would have happened. A really nice bunch of folk. Also to Barry and Chris Heeley of High Hoyland Dry Stone Walls who gave up their day to help us on this special day. Last but not least, a very special thanks to Alan Gallop who also gave his time to paint a picture in words of that terrible day.
P.S. I went to see 'Profit and Loss' a play performed by local people at Silkstone Paris Church on Friday evening which was about the Huskar Pit Disaster. It was an excellent performance very well acted, some of whom were relatives of those who died all those years ago. The evening came to a close with the children who played the 26 children who died laying flowers on the monument in the church graveyard. Very moving.